Alphabet Soup
by Eloeehez
Summary: This will be an open-ended collection of One-Shots centered around Danny Reagan hurt/comfort and whump. Originally started as an A-Z collection but inspiration did not strike alphabetically or only once per letter, hence the soup.
1. A for Allergy

**This is going to be a collection of one-shots based on words that come to mind. Originally it was intended to be an A-Z collection and turned into, simply, Alphabet Soup** **instead. **

* * *

**Allergy**

Danny and Jackie sat in their unmarked car, outside of a suspect's house, bored beyond belief. The suspect, James Borgis, hadn't been out of his house in nearly two days, and if they weren't positive this guy knew where Kathryn Miller was being held, they would have called off the stakeout. Nevertheless, he seemed to either have no life or was laying low.

"How much longer do you think until he goes to meet his partner?" Jackie asked quietly, rolling her shoulders.

"I don't know," Danny answered, "but if he doesn't go soon, Kathryn'll probably be going back to the family in a pine box."

"Great. Way to think positive, partner," Jackie muttered, leaning her head back against the seat.

"What? I'm just trying to be realistic here," Danny defended with a shrug.

Jackie shook her head before stopping to focus on the mirror. "Looks like our replacements are here," she said.

"Finally," Danny grumbled, flashing the brake lights in a pre-arranged signal. When they got the return signal he sighed. "I'm starving. Let's go eat."

"Sure. Just as long as it's not that sushi place again," Jackie told him, shuddering.

"No problem," Danny agreed, pulling away from the curb. "How about that new German place?"

"That works for me," Jackie conceded, not really caring where they went so long as they got food soon.

After a quick run to the precinct to clock out, they found themselves eating sausage and sauerkraut at midmorning. Halfway through their meal, Danny stopped eating. It seemed like no matter how much water he drank there was something stuck in his throat. He tried clearing his throat a few times before taking another large gulp of water.

"Reagan?" Jackie asked, suddenly concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I just got something stuck, I think," Danny answered, taking a deep breath and swallowing again.

"You have something stuck, or you feel like you have something stuck?" Jackie asked again, eyes flicking across his face rapidly.

"I don't know, Jack," Danny answered, frustratedly rubbing his chest and itching his neck. Something wasn't right. Things started to feel like they were moving, his throat felt tight and uncomfortable. "I can't breathe!" Danny wheezed out, watching as horror flashed through his partner's eyes. Pressing a hand to his chest, he tried to focus on getting air into his lungs, trusting her to get help.

"Does anyone have an EpiPen?" Jackie shouted, instantly on her feet, eyes raking across everyone in the restaurant. "Anyone? This is an emergency!"

Danny was starting to feel very lightheaded when a voice called out, "Here, use mine!" Moments later there was a click and the feeling of a needle in his thigh. "Why, just this morning I was wondering why I carry the thing when the bees aren't out. I guess now I know." As his breathing improved, he looked up to see a rather attractive middle-aged woman standing next to his partner.

"Danny, you gonna be okay?" Jackie asked, eyes searching his face.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he told her, wincing at the rasp in his voice.

"You should still get looked over by a doctor," the stranger suggested. "It's always a good idea after an attack."

"I've got 911 on the line," a young man said from a few tables over. "They're wanting to know if he needs an ambulance."

"No," Danny responded, continuing when he saw Jackie getting ready to object. "Look, just drive me over to that urgent care clinic, okay? Let them take a look at me." Even though it was a Sunday and they were off shift, any whisper of him getting taken to the hospital by ambulance would make it to the family.

"Fine, we don't need an ambulance," she agreed, nodding to the young man, "but I'm holding you to that."

Since everyone was staring, Jackie paid quickly and hustled him out of the restaurant and to his car.

Holding her hand out for his keys, she commented quietly, "I guess it's a good thing I took the subway to work."

"Yeah, I guess so," he sulked in response as he gave her the keys. Getting into the passenger's seat, Danny allowed himself a moment of quiet discomfort. He still felt dizzy and short of breath, but now his hands were shaking as well. Leaning back in his seat, he closed his eyes and took a few moments to breathe.

"Doin' okay, Reagan?" Jackie inquired as she settled into the driver's seat.

He opened his eyes and straightened up. "Yeah, I'm okay."

She gave no audible response, but the sideways glance was enough to tell him she wasn't buying it. Moments later they were pulling out into traffic and on their way to the nearest urgent care clinic. The ride was silent but tense, Jackie continuously sneaking glances at him. Danny tried his best to ignore it.

The urgent care clinic was busy when they arrived, but somehow Jackie got them taken back to an exam room immediately. Sometimes his partner was still able to boggle his mind. Of course, sitting on a paper-covered examination bed answering a nurse's questions wasn't exactly what he wanted to be doing right now.

After a few minutes, she left, and Danny spoke up. "Hey, you don't have to stay. This is probably going to take a while, and I know you have better things to do than sit here and wait."

"Yeah, I probably do have things I could be doing," Jackie informed him succinctly, "but I'm not leaving until I'm certain you're okay!"

"That's good to hear," a young woman in a lab coat interjected, entering the room. "I'm Doctor Martin," she introduced herself then, glancing at the file in her hand. "Now, I'm going to need you to remove your shirt, Mr. Reagan."

Doctor Martin was thorough and, thankfully, very professional, so the exam went quickly. Afterwards she made a few notes and sat down to talk to him.

"So far it seems like the epinephrine did its job and your reaction was stopped. By your accounts it has been over half an hour since the initial reaction, so chances are good that you won't have another severe response," she explained. "You appear to be experiencing some side effects of the epinephrine, like the tremors and sweating. Other possible side effects can include dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath and headache."

Doctor Martin turned to write on a prescription pad as she continued, "Given your severe reaction I'm going to give you a prescription so you can get an EpiPen. When you pick it up, the pharmacist should instruct you in it's proper use. Do you have any questions?"

"Yeah," he responded glancing down at the prescription she handed him, "how can I suddenly have a life threatening allergy, and what did I even react to?"

"Adult onset allergies are not unheard of," she told him. "We are still not entirely sure what causes someone to become reactive to an allergen they may have previously not had issues with. I notice, in the questionnaire, you stated you have had hayfever."

"When I was younger, and it was never that bad," Danny clarified.

"Even so, allergies can develop over time," explained Doctor Martin. "Take my daughter for example: she has moderate hayfever. One day, she was eating an apple and experienced a more severe allergic response because her body confused the proteins in the apple with pollen proteins."

"I'm not sure I follow you," admitted Danny, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"You're saying that his body got confused? Mistook a food for pollen?" asked Jackie.

"It is a possibility, as is an undiagnosed food allergy," the doctor clarified. "You won't know for certain until you get tested, which I suggest you do soon."

Danny nodded and said, "Thanks."

"Take care of yourself," she said, leaving the room.

"Well, what do you say we get outta here?" Jackie suggested.

"Sounds great," Danny murmured, stuffing the prescription into his jacket pocket. He would have to wait until Monday to even think about getting to a pharmacy.

Jackie ended up driving his car to the subway station closest to his father's house, insisting he rest as much as possible. As they pulled up to the curb, Jackie finally spoke again.

"You know you're going to have to put this in your file."

"It can wait," he replied, cutting off her protests quickly by adding, "I don't even know what I'm allergic to! I can't report it until I know, or should I just say I'm allergic to some unknown food?"

"Okay, I get it!" Jackie snapped back. "But I know you, Reagan. You don't like to show anyone any weakness, and I just don't want you to 'conveniently' forget to mention that you have a life threatening allergy!"

"Alright, you can remind me once I get tested, but for now don't tell anyone. Please?" Danny pleaded. "I don't need everyone treating me like I am going to keel over at a moment's notice."

"Fine, I won't mention it," Jackie sighed. "You're going to have a hard enough time telling your family tonight."

"Right," Danny fibbed half-heartedly.

"Danny, you have to tell them!" Jackie said. "You can't just ignore this."

"Tell them what?" Danny snapped back. "We don't even know what it was a reaction to. If I tell them, I might as well live in a bubble for however long it takes to find out!" Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down. "Listen, let me just have a little time to figure out how to break it to them, okay?"

"I hope you know what you're doing," Jackie muttered.

"Yeah, me too," he concurred.

"See you tomorrow, partner," Jackie said, exiting the vehicle. "Oh, and we're never having German again."

"See you tomorrow," Danny said, getting out and making his way to the driver's side, silently agreeing with her. He didn't feel much better, but at least he was steady enough to drive.

All too soon he was pulling up outside the house, dreading going in there. It wasn't like they would know what happened, but if he didn't pull it together the family was bound to notice something was up. Taking a few deep breaths, Danny did his best to relax and pretend it had simply been a long night at work.

Dragging his weary body out of the driver's seat, he trudged up the drive and into the house. Hollered greetings came from almost every room, and he did his best to return them with his usual gusto.

"Come join us!" Grandpa shouted from the living room, "the game's about to start!"

"I'm coming!" Danny replied, making his way into the kitchen first to greet his wife. "Hey, babe."

"Hey," Linda answered him with a kiss. "You go join the guys, and I'll bring you a beer."

"Thanks, but a coffee would probably do me more good," Danny told her. He was plenty tired after his shift, but nausea had set in, and he didn't actually want anything.

"Long night, huh?" commiserated Linda.

"Very," Danny agreed, heading out to the living room and taking his place on the end of the couch.

Thankfully he was in time to watch the opening kickoff, and as the cheering started, he tried to keep up. By the third commercial break, he found himself leaning on the arm of the couch, chin in his hand, trying to stay awake. Ordinarily he wouldn't have too much trouble managing it, but after today he just wanted sleep.

"Hey, Danny, you okay?" Jamie asked, still grinning over the last play.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," Danny responded, straightening up some.

"You don't look good," his father told him, leaning forward to take a better look. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Long tour, Dad," Danny reassured them. No one in the room looked particularly convinced. "I'll be fine."

"Which implies you are currently not fine," Erin spoke up from the doorway, looking concerned.

"Boys," Linda said, coming into the room, "go outside and play for a little while."

"But Mom! It's the middle of the game!" Jack complained. "Why do we have to leave?"

"Because I asked you to," Linda told them in that 'I am your mother' voice. "You'll get to finish the game when we're done talking. Now go."

Grumbling, the boys got up and headed for the back door but not without flashing worried glances at their dad.

"Now, explain," Erin demanded, crossing her arms.

"Explain what?" Danny asked, scrambling to think of ways to answer without giving anything away or causing another overreaction later. "I was on stakeout all night!"

"Explain what's wrong, and don't blame it on your shift," Linda clarified, walking across the room to stand in front of him, "because you haven't even touched your coffee. And Jackie just texted me to make sure you had made it alright. She wouldn't do that if she wasn't worried about you, Danny."

Danny tried not to look surprised as he glanced to the end table. There was, in fact, a coffee there, and he hadn't even noticed. If only Jackie hadn't contacted Linda, he could have sidestepped all of this. Now his only choices were to downplay or evade.

"I'm just feeling a little off, okay?" Danny snapped.

"I'd say more than a little," Frank interrupted, meeting Danny's icy look with a calm one. "You only get this defensive when we are right or you don't want us to know something. I want the truth."

Danny knew a command when he heard one, and now he was backed into a corner. If he lied now, it could make things worse in the future. Yet he really didn't have a clue how to tell them the truth delicately.

"Please, Danny, tell us what's going on," murmured Linda. "What happened at work?"

"It has nothing to do with work," replied Danny, still thinking. Several times he thought he had a way to say it, but each time he couldn't. Finally he simply reached into his pocket and handed the prescription slip to Linda.

Surprise and concern played across her features as she sighed, "Oh, Danny."

Erin peeked at the prescription over Linda's shoulder.

"Danny, this is a prescription for an EpiPen!" Erin exclaimed.

"An EpiPen?" Henry asked. "Isn't that for life threatening allergies or something?"

"Yes, it is," Linda confirmed. "For people who have an anaphylactic reaction."

"Geez, Danny, why didn't you call?" asked Jamie.

"Because by the time I could have called, there was no reason to," grumbled Danny. "All of you being there at the clinic wouldn't have done anything."

"Where, when, what?" Frank asked, knowing his son would know the answers he wanted.

"Jackie and I hit up that new German place after we got off tour," Danny explained, not bothering with the last question. He sure didn't have any answers himself, much less for everyone else.

Frank frowned as Jamie asked, "But what did it? And why not tell us? Come on, Danny, we're family."

"I don't know, alright?" snapped Danny, "I have no idea what caused it, and until I get tested I still won't. I wanted to wait and get some answers before...all of this."

After a long silence, Henry spoke up, "So I'm guessing this 'feeling off' is because of the reaction."

"Or it could be a side effect of the Epi," interjected Linda. "How are you really feeling, Danny?"

His family studied him with vigilant eyes and Danny sighed, grudgingly admitting,"tired, dizzy, nauseated, and a bit of a headache."

"Anymore medications have side effects that make you wonder if they are worth it," Henry groused from his chair.

"Well, in most cases the medications are necessary, Grandpa," Erin rebutted.

"I know that," Henry replied, "but that doesn't make taking them any better."

"Alright, you two," Frank interrupted, "we are not discussing medications right now." He paused for a moment, clearly thinking. "When will you schedule the appointment?"

"I am going to call in the morning," Danny told them, "and yes, I was actually planning to before all of this."

"Good." Linda retorted before turning to Frank. "Can Danny and the boys stay tonight?"

"Of course," Frank warmly replied, with a small smile.

"Linda, I can take the boys home…" Danny started, but he never got to finish.

"You're staying here tonight, Danny!" Linda informed him forcefully. "You had a life threatening allergic reaction today, and I don't want you left alone tonight. Since I work, you are staying here. That's final!"

"You really don't have a choice in this," agreed Henry.

It looked as though the entire family had decided for him, so Danny leaned back on the couch with a sigh. This had been the sort of thing he hoped to avoid.

"I still think you're overreacting a bit," Danny grumbled.

"You came in, tried to pretend nothing was wrong, and we're overreacting?" Jamie asked, shooting him an incredulous look.

"I told you, I wanted to get some answers before I said anything," Danny shouted, wishing they would understand. He was horrible at sharing on the best days, and this was not one of them.

"You still should have told us," Frank commented solemnly. "Now you get to deal with the consequences."

Danny grumbled to himself but otherwise kept his mouth shut as Linda went to get the boys back in and finish preparing dinner with Erin. He knew they would be talking about him in the kitchen where he couldn't hear them. The coffee that he hadn't actually been interested in drinking was taken away and a glass of water replaced it.

By halftime, Danny was ready to go crawl into bed, if only to get away from the staring of the rest of the family. Jack and Sean were happily oblivious, simply having been told that Daddy was a little sick so they would be staying the night at Grandpa's house.

Dinner was quiet, and for once Danny was glad Nicki wasn't there to clue the boys in to the fact that something was wrong. Every bite he managed to take was carefully scrutinized by everyone at the table as if they expected him to have another reaction. He barely managed to keep from making a scene over being given water instead of wine.

He stumbled a bit on the way back to the couch only to find Jamie right there at his elbow, supporting him to the couch whether he wanted it or not. Danny found he couldn't work up much anger at the action because he knew he would have done the same thing for Jamie in a heartbeat.

By the end of the game, Danny found himself sprawled on the couch, draped in blankets and nodding off whether he wanted to or not.

Later he awoke to someone tugging on his belt, only to hear his father's reassuring voice.

"Go back to sleep, Danny," Frank murmured.

"My piece?" Danny managed to ask.

"I'll put it somewhere safe," Frank reassured him quietly. "Just sleep."

When Danny finally woke, it was well into the morning. Cursing to himself, he jumped off the couch, sending the blankets to the floor. He was supposed to be to work hours ago. Jackie was probably worried, and Gormley would be pissed. The problem now was where his shoes, jacket, phone, and firearms had gone to. He would have been far more panicked if he hadn't remembered that brief moment when he woke up as his father was taking his gun off his belt.

His phone was rather easily discovered, sitting on the side table. Snatching it up, he quickly dialed Sergeant Gormley's number.

"Gormley," the man answered.

"Hey, Sarge, sorry I'm late," Danny explained hurriedly, "I'll be in as soon as I can get there."

"What are you talking about, Reagan?" Gormley asked, sounding bewildered. "You were banged in sick today."

"What? By who?" Danny asked, pausing in his search to listen.

"The P.C., that's who," answered Gormley, "so like it or not, you have the day off."

"Wha…?" Danny spluttered.

"Goodbye, Reagan," said Gormley, hanging up on him.

"I see you're up," came his father's voice from the kitchen. "Come have breakfast."

"You called me in sick?" Danny asked, sounding mystified even to himself as he made his way to the table.

"You needed your rest," Frank told him as he went about making a breakfast for Danny. "I called an allergy specialist this morning and got you an appointment for early this afternoon."

"I would have called, Dad," groused Danny, as he slid into a chair at the kitchen table.

"I know, son," Frank replied. "But the soonest appointment you would have been able to get would have been weeks out. On the other hand, as the Police Commissioner, I was able to get you an opening today."

"The perks of being a political figure, huh?" smirked Danny, although he was still a bit annoyed at being called in sick by his father.

"You could call it that," his father responded, setting food down in front of him.

Danny hungrily shoveled food into his mouth, pointedly ignoring the way his father observed him. Today was going to be a long day.

When he arrived at work the next day, Danny found Jackie watching him curiously, waiting for him to talk. He decided to make her wait a little longer for tipping off his family. Logically he knew she did it out of concern, but sometimes he still felt like being petty.

"So?" Jackie asked. "What happened?"

"Well, since you decided to text Linda, they found out," Danny told her, putting a little irritation into his voice.

"Danny…"Jackie started, apology clear in her face.

"I know," replied Danny, softening his tone. "Let's just say it didn't go over too well."

"So, basically, you didn't tell them, they had to drag it out of you," guessed Jackie.

"Yeah, something like that," he grumbled. "Anyway, Linda made me stay the night at Dad's, and he made a few calls in the morning."

"You've already had the test?" asked Jackie hopefully.

"Dad pulled a few strings, got me in, although I wish he would have let me call in sick," he groused, hoping that fact hadn't made the rounds already.

"That's what you're worried about? Seriously, Danny, what did you find out?"

"Anise," Danny told her. "Because of that stupid hayfever, I'm deathly allergic to anise."

Jackie just chuckled and shook her head.

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Reviews, constructive criticism, and general commentary is welcome. Ideas are also welcome, but I cannot guarantee any of them making it to completion.

Also, I have not ever had an anaphylactic reaction, nor was I able to consult with anyone who had or even who knew someone. As such, if I got something wrong I would be interested in knowing about it and what I might have done instead.


	2. H for Hostage

**jlmayer, Lea, kirbyschoice, c-c, and Newbie: I am glad you all are enjoying this Danny centered collection so far. Here is another one!**

**Fernanda Fierro: I will keep your suggestions in mind. If I can do something with them I will attempt to do so.**

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**Hostage**

Danny sat in his SUV, just down the block from where Nicky went into a bodega to pick up some 'girl' stuff. Erin asked him if he could pick Nicky from her friend's house since she was running late. Nicky argued she could get home by herself but Erin vetoed that. She was paranoid because the recent assaults on young women on public transit. To be honest, Danny was glad she won that argument. The attacks had him on edge as well.

Looking at his dashboard clock, Danny frowned. Nicky had been in there almost fifteen minutes, far too long to just grab the stuff and leave like she promised. Glancing at the bodega, he saw a tense young man approach the door. He flipped the sign to closed before skittering away. Something was wrong in there.

Picking up his phone he called his partner.

"Hey, Reagan, what's up?" Jackie answered the phone. "Don't tell me you're picking up another case already. We just clocked off an hour ago."

"I don't know," Danny answered her gravely. "Listen, my niece went into a corner bodega about fifteen minutes ago, and I just saw a guy flip the sign without locking the door. He looked spooked."

"What about Nicky?" concern filled Jackie's voice.

"She hasn't come out that I've seen," he told her. "I'm gonna go check it out. Can you get some backup here, just in case? I have a bad feeling about this."

"I'm on it," Jackie replied. "Be careful, Danny."

"I'll do my best," he assured her before hanging up and silencing his phone.

Climbing out of his Jeep he headed towards the store. Glancing in the windows he saw nothing but an empty counter where a clerk should have been. Pretending to be too preoccupied to notice the closed sign, he opened the door and entered. Scanning the shelves, he made his way through the store, pretending to shop. Everything was quiet.

Too quiet.

His nerves buzzed with tension the closer he got to the back. Empty aisles and scattered products hinted at either panic or a struggle. Finally he heard something. The door to the back swung open and a man backed out with a familiar female figure in his grasp, a gun aimed at her head.

"You stay there!" The gunman ordered to someone out of sight, before turning around and spotting Danny. "The store is closed! Get lost before you get hurt!"

Danny set down his pseudo-shopping and spread his arms to show he was no threat. Apprehension filled him even though he was far from unfamiliar with this sort of thing. Then again, none of those experiences involved family.

"Easy there, no one's getting hurt, okay?" Danny spoke calmly, trying to relax both the gunman and his niece. He could see she was terrified. Her eyes begged him to save her.

"Do what I say and I might not kill you!" the gunman threatened, his nervous ticks increasing the longer they stood there.

"No one is going to get killed today," Danny told him calmly. "Now how about we keep it that way, okay?"

"What are you, a cop or something?" the gunman asked, starting to fidget, his eyes darting around the store rapidly.

"Yeah, I am," Danny replied as he spotted an NYPD squad car pulling up. "Look, as long as no one is hurt you can still get outta this." He needed to keep the man's focus on him.

"No!" He shouted, tightening his grip on Nicky. "You don't understand! I just wanted a little money to start over! That's all! I can't go back to prison!" The thief was almost to the point of hyperventilating.

"Okay, okay, just take it easy," soothed Danny. "We can figure this out, you just gotta work with me, okay?" He shifted a little to the right, refocusing the gunman on him.

The ex-con seemed to calm before he spotted the cops outside and panicked again.

"No! No! Not more cops! Damn it!" The gunman swore and backed away, looping his arm around Nicky's neck, dragging her with him. She let out a tiny shriek of fear before silencing herself again. Her eyes bored into Danny and he willed himself to remain calm for her.

As the two officers entered they drew their guns and aimed them at the still nameless suspect.

"Drop the gun and let the girl go!" One of the officers shouted.

"Get outta here or the girl dies!" the gunman threatened, shifting anxiously with his finger twitching on the trigger.

Catching Nicky's eyes, Danny took a slow, deep breath. She mimicked him and started to look a little calmer.

Danny shifted his coat to reveal his badge and waved the officers back. He was having more luck negotiating on his own, and this guy was only getting more worked up the longer they remained. The two officers reluctantly backed out, reporting in as they retreated to their car.

"They're gone, but I can tell you that, right now, they are on their radios calling for backup," Danny informed the man slowly. "You need to end this before it gets out of hand."

"No! I have hostages! You cops have to do what I want or they die!" He rebutted, trembling. As his arm tightened around Nicki's throat, Danny cringed. She started to raise her arms before lowering them again, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"No one is dying!" Danny snapped at him before forcing his tone to a calmer level. "Look, you and I both know that civilian hostages aren't worth as much as one cop hostage." The gunman seemed to be considering this. "How about you let them go. Let them go and I'll be your hostage."

Sirens screamed in the distance as more officers arrived on the scene. Red and blue lights danced across the ceiling and walls. Once again Danny shifted his stance, bringing the hostage takers attention back to him.

"There's only so much they'll do for a civilian hostage, but a cop? You've got a lot more power holding me than all of them combined." Danny negotiated, keeping his eyes on the perpetrator. If he looked at Nicki now he would betray them both.

The gunman seemed to be thinking as he watched the police outside set up a perimeter. Even though he was distracted, Danny wasn't about to risk Nicki's life by rushing the man. Finally the guy took his gun from Nicki's head and pointed it to Danny.

"Alright cop, you get to take their place. Don't do anything stupid!" he told Danny, shoving Nicki towards the front of the store. "You leave. Now." Opening the door behind him, he motioned to whomever was inside. "You too! Leave!"

Danny held still as the gunman grabbed him, pointing the gun to his head. The young man from before and an older woman quickly fled from the room, heading for the front door with Nicki in tow. She spared him one last glance before she was pulled out the door. The guy then started to search Danny's waist, first removing his gun, his phone, and then his handcuffs.

"Give me your hands, cop," he demanded and Danny realized what was coming. He cuffed Danny's hands behind him, then pushed him towards the vacant office. "Inside. I'm not giving those other cops a chance to take a cheap shot at me."

Danny tried to relax and be as compliant as possible to avoid getting pushed around. For the most part it worked, until the last shove put him on the floor in the corner.

"Take it easy," Danny murmured, trying to get comfortable. "What's your name?"

"You don't need to know! Now just stay there and keep quiet," the suspect growled, pointing his gun at Danny. Satisfied by the silence, he started to pace, clearly trying to think things through. For the time being, Danny let him have some peace.

Some time later the phone in the office started to ring. The man let it ring for a while before finally giving in and picking it up.

"What?" he snapped, glaring at the wall in front of him. "All you need to know is I got a cop in here." Another pause and then, "no, I get what I want, then I'll think about letting him go." A longer pause, "a car for starters, and no tracers or any of that shit! And I don't wanna be followed, got that? You follow me, he's dead." The guy shot a long look at Danny before saying "fine!"

He set the phone down and stalked over. Grabbing Danny's arm, he hauled the detective to his feet.

"They wanna hear that you're fine," he growled. "JUST that you're fine. Nothing tricky."

"Okay, just take it easy," Danny placated him as he walked the few steps to the desk. Standing still, he allowed the receiver to be pressed against his ear. "I'm on," Danny said, wondering which negotiator he would get on the other end.

"Danny, it's Jack. How you doing in there?" asked the familiar voice of Jack Condo, a negotiator he worked with many times before.

"I'm not hurt," Danny told him, then the phone was ripped away. He knew Jack would read between the lines and know that he wasn't fine, but he also wasn't in grave danger.

"There, you heard him say he's fine," the thief said angrily. He pushed Danny back towards the wall, which he stumbled into with a thump and soft grunt. Danny knew they heard it as the perpetrator shouted into the phone, "that's none of your concern, now get me what I want!" He slammed the phone down before pushing Danny back to the floor. "Damn negotiator reminds me of my fool of a lawyer. All talk, no results."

"They'll get you that car," reassured Danny. "You've got a cop in here. They know that."

"I'll believe it when I see it," the man said scathingly.

"It will happen," Danny told him.

"Whatever, I just wanna get out of here," he murmured. "Can't go back."

Time seemed to drag on as they waited, the gunman for his getaway car, and Danny for the call that would likely lead this criminal into a trap. Even if they did find him a car, there was no way they were letting him get into it and drive away with a cop as a hostage. This guy was so panicked he couldn't see that.

The clock showed half an hour passed before the phone rang.

"You got my stuff?" His kidnapper asked.

Whatever Jack said to him caused the man to blanch.

"So what? You know my name? Big deal! I told you what I want, now get it! No more of these 'just checking in' calls. I don't wanna hear it."

He paused for a minute as Jack spoke.

"Fine. And don't call me Nathaniel!"

Nathaniel slammed down the phone and Danny smothered a smirk. Whether or not it was planned, they had given him something to work with as well.

"They just want to make sure you're not left hanging, Nate," he murmured casually.

Nathaniel jumped and whirled towards him, half raising his gun.

"I don't care," he hollered hoarsely, free hand raking through his hair. "I just want out, just wanna be gone. You just stay shut up and we'll be fine."

Tipping his head slightly in agreement, Danny tried to smother his disappointment. Sure, he wasn't as good as Jack, but he usually could manage some negotiations.

Nathaniel lowered the gun and began to pace, mumbling to himself. Danny could only pick up snatches of his one-sided conversation, and none of what he heard was of any help.

Finally, after an agonizingly long wait, the phone rang again.

"I hope you got my car," were the first words Nathaniel uttered when he picked up.

"Yea? No tracking, no following, remember? I even think I'm being followed and the cop dies, got it?"

He paced as he listened. To Danny, it felt like minutes before he started to shout again.

"I'll drop him off where I feel like it, when I feel like it! If he's lucky I'll give him some change for a payphone, but I'm the one calling the shots here!"

Jack must have interrupted because Nathaniel quieted for a moment before he spoke again.

"We are coming out and I don't want to see any guns pointed at us, got it? Good."

Once more he slammed down the phone. Nathaniel then dragged Danny to his feet, his fingers sure to leave bruises where he gripped.

"Come on, cop, we're going for a drive." Nathaniel shifted his hold on Danny's arm to use him as a shield and then pressed the gun to his temple. "Walk."

Danny made no fuss as they walked to the door, pausing just long enough for it to be opened before they proceeded out into the store. The gunman eyed the cops outside as they made their way towards the glass storefront.

A slight movement in the corner of his eye clued Danny into what was happening a moment before the flash bang grenade went off. Through the ringing in his ears he could faintly hear shouting as someone grabbed him to drag him away from Nathaniel. He blinked rapidly to clear his vision as he felt another pair of hands help pull him nearly off his feet. He didn't fight as he knew they meant to get him outside and away from any potential gunfire.

Soon enough he was able to see blurry shapes as he was pushed behind a small grouping of squad cars. One of the ESU guys who had dragged him out started to unlock the handcuffs as Jackie hurried over.

"Reagan, you okay?" she questioned as she studied him for any signs of injury.

"Yea, I'm fine." Danny reassured her, rubbing his sore wrists as they were freed. "I can almost see again, though my ears are still ringing."

"I'll take that over the alternative any day," Jackie retorted.

"Me too, partner," agreed Danny. "Thanks for sending the troops. How's Nicki?"

"Scared, worried, and pretty upset," she informed him. "Your brother took her to your father's office to give her statement."

"Good," Danny breathed, relieved that she was safe and secure. He could almost imagine the looks on those officer's faces as they found out who she was. No one liked having to answer directly to the top brass.

"Let's get you over to the EMT's so you can get checked out," Jackie said, giving him a hand up. "The paperwork's gonna be a bitch."

"You got that right," grumbled Danny as he followed his partner to the waiting ambulance.

After getting a clean bill of health, they went to retrieve his property from the officers who collected it. Then, together they headed back to the station house to start on the dreaded paperwork.

Upon entering the precinct he was greeted with a shout of, "Uncle Danny!" and a big hug from Nicki.

"Hey Nicki, you okay?" Danny questioned as he studied her face for a moment. It was obvious that she had been crying.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Danny," Nicki whispered, her gaze locked on her feet. "I should have done something, I should have..."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Danny interrupted her. "You did what you were supposed to do and got out safe."

"But because of me you got taken hostage," tears welled up in her eyes even as she argued her point.

"It's not your fault," Danny reassured her. "I might have done it for anyone, but I will always do it for family. I want you safe." He squeezed her tightly again. "I don't ever want to hear you blame yourself again, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it Uncle Danny," Nicki affirmed with a watery smile. "Mom and Grandpa are in your bosses office."

"Well, lets not keep them waiting."

He looped an arm around her shoulders and headed for Gormley's office. Before they made it there, Nicki stopped.

"Uncle Danny," Nicki started, pausing before she continued. "Thanks. I was so scared, but you were so calm. It really helped. I just…thanks doesn't seem like enough."

With another hug he replied, "I'm just glad you're safe. That's all I need, kiddo."


End file.
